Cast Away
by MonaWrites96
Summary: Jazmine Dubois has always wanted to study the marine wildlife, when she finally gets an opportunity to study a semester at sea, she stumbles upon Huey Freeman, who happens to be a crew member on the Santiago Cruise line. The whole Boondocks squad is here, read on! H/J AU-ish?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** : Hello everyone! I've been MIA for about a year or so, college has got me stressed out. If you're wondering what happened to We Teach Life, Sir, truth is, I started to write a new chapter then out of nowhere I got this idea. I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any questions please feel free to PM me.

* * *

 **10:47 AM Tuesday, December 15** **th** **2019\. Richard Dawkins Hall, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD.**

True or False. The zooxanthellae/coral symbiosis is a good example of mutualism.

 _If you don't pass this, your GPA will drop, you'll never graduate in time, and you'll never get a good jo-_

I shut my eyes, taking in a deep breath; desperately trying to block these negative thoughts. I was currently taking my marine biology final exam that I had been preparing for weeks now. It only cost me blisters on my fingers from writing hundreds of flashcards, the never ending listening to eighteen 90-minute long lecture recordings, and a really bad neck cramp from constantly burying my nose in my six pound biology book. Not to mention having to balance out my time to study for my other subjects as well.

 _Okay okay, let's try question 43_.

If you wanted to see a fish that possessed a bioluminescent lure, how deep in the ocean would you have to venture?

a. Only as deep as the epipelagic zone  
b. About as deep as the mesopelagic zone  
c. Beyond the mesopelagic zone  
d. Into the ozone

 _Hmph._

 _Get it together Jazmine._

'Was it B? Yeah it has to be B, unless… it's C? That sounds right too. No wait, always go with your first choice. Right?'

 _This is your last final. You know this stuff…_

I sighed heavily and jotted down the answers that I knew by heart, praying that I'd at least keep my grade point average at a 3.8. This class was especially important to me, my professor, Doctor Viktorio, had told our class of 105 students that he would pick the top ten students who did well in the course to accompany him on his research vessel. He was on an expedition to do research at sea, and it was definitely an opportunity I did not want miss out on. Not only would it look good on my college transcript, but it's also been a dream of mine to explore the deep ocean blue, protecting the endangered and discovering new invasive marine species.

A semester at sea didn't sound too bad either. Ever since my first trip to Ocean City, MD at four years old, I had fallen in love with the sea. The ocean breeze, the little critters living by the shore, and even getting lucky enough to go deep sea fishing (of course returning the creatures back) had expanded my horizons to a new and interesting field. So, I decided to major in Marine Biology when I first got accepted to the University of Maryland. It is now my second year, and so far I've been doing well in all my classes.

I adjusted my glasses, and finally walked towards the professor to hand in my paper. Doctor Viktorio was a kind and very intelligent professor, his lectures were long and he gave a lot of material to study, but he always wanted what was best for his students.

He took a quick glance at me and spoke, "Good luck to you Jazmine, though I know you won't need it."

"Thank you Doctor V." I replied with a smile

I left the lecture hall afterwards, putting my double breasted coat on as I made my way down the stairs to exit the building. It was snowing here in Baltimore and Christmas break was right around the corner, which meant that I had to go run a few errands before I had to head back to my hometown, Woodcrest.

Woodcrest was a nice, suburban, middle-class neighborhood, just about a forty-five minute drive from campus. I had left home when I was about seventeen, my mother's fiancée-Eric, had found me an apartment nearby so I didn't have to room with anyone on campus. He agreed to pay my rent for about three months, until I was able to find a job. It was a hassle at first, because getting payed minimum wage was barely enough to cover my monthly rent. During high school, I worked at a nearby frozen yogurt shop, and whatever money I had saved up from that went straight to paying my books. I was on a scholarship so I didn't have to worry about paying tuition.

In my freshman year of college, I worked for a few months at the campus library with a salary of $8.25 an hour. Knowing that this clearly wasn't enough to pay rent, I found another job at Starbucks in downtown Baltimore where I worked as a coffee barista, and since I was taking mostly general requirement courses, this didn't affect my school life too much.

I finally walked outside the Mathematics and Sciences building feeling relieved as ever, I beamed. No more finals! _Maybe I should go treat myself._

My moment of happiness was cut short when I saw a certain figure come and approach me,

"Hey _Jazmine,_ so how do you think you did on Viktorio's exam? _"_ he sneered with a cockiness latched in his voice.

"Oh, I... I don't know." I replied nonchalantly, walking past him.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?" he asked

I turned on my heel and rolled my eyes, "I have things to do, Cairo"

"Sure you do, but when will you take me up on that offer to get dinner with me?"

"I'm not interested." I answered truthfully

"Not even coffee? Come on… it's just two friends hanging out." He pleaded with his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow

" _Classmates_."

"Yeah, whatever you say Jazmine, classmates!"

I sighed, shaking my head, "If I say yes will you leave me alone?"

Cairo Evans was a snotty, wise-ass, cocky son of a gun who just happened to be in the same marine biology class as me. Despite his attitude, he was very smart, we studied twice together but I had to call it off when he placed his hand on my thigh and started to feel me up. He apologized and told me it was an 'accident' but I didn't buy it, he tried to ask me out but I politely refused. Apparently this boy doesn't understand the meaning of 'no'…

 _It's okay Jazmine, you'll be in Woodcrest soon, away from this guy._

We went to a nearby Einstein Bros and got ourselves bagels and coffee. The next forty minutes were spent on him talking about himself, bragging about how confident he was that he was going to be among the ten students to get picked to accompany our professor in his research. I only listened to him yap as I nodded my head, pretending to care.

"You think you'll get on that research ship?" He asked

"I really don't know, but I hope so" I replied

"Hm, well you're pretty smart, and as you can see the rest of the class isn't _that_ competitive, maybe you'll get lucky."

"…thanks."

"No prob, Jaz."

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes for the thousandth time. Noting that an hour had already passed, I started to gather my belongings "Well, this was nice Cairo, but I have to go now."

He smirked at me and winked, "Hope I'll see you on that boat, Jaz. Merry Christmas..."

 _I don't._

I forced a smile back, "Yeah, me too! Merry Christmas!"

My apartment was about a fifteen minute walk and it began to snow heavily, so I left store and headed towards the bus stop, where it was at least warm. It came in about five minutes, and I hopped on placing my fare change in the meter…

 _I thought I'd never get to escape._ I thought to myself.

In about twenty minutes, the bus halted to a stop, I hopped off and bid the bus driver a good day. I made my way towards my apartment building, going up a flight of stairs until I reached the evident gold number 13 on the door to my right.

I unlocked the door and entered, nothing but the sound of silence greeting me as I walked in. It was peaceful, but it got kind of lonely sometimes. I placed my coat in the closet and walked inside my room, the first thing I did was crash on the bed. It was an exhausting two weeks and I was glad that I could finally rest. I never imagined that I'd be living alone in college, I always thought I'd have a roommate or commute, but, Eric insisted. Being an excited teenager who's just been presented with the idea of leaving home, I agreed immediately. But it's been a year and I'm pretty sure it's cause he wanted more time alone with my mother.

Speaking of mom, I wondered what I should get her this Christmas. At least I didn't have many people to shop for this Christmas, as always. I had to shop for my mother Sarah, Eric, and my best friend. I never did stay in touch with my friends from high school, because I barely had any…

I was never good with friendships, especially with girls. When I was younger, I remember being teased frequently about my hair, even to the point where I was sent home from school for letting my natural curls flow down at my shoulders, they said it was a distraction. I cried for days, begging my parents to let me relax it, I just didn't want to stand out. But no matter how much I'd beg, they both refuse, telling me that I was too young and that it was an expensive process. Middle school started and I began to blossom into a young adolescent, my hair was tamer and it didn't bother me as much. Being the only biracial kid in school, I didn't make too many friends, I only hung out with the people who didn't ask me to leave their group.

In eighth grade, I made my first long term friend, her name was Lisa. We had many interests in common and we often hung out outside of school, she never touched my hair or even asked me about my background. I was happy for a while, until High school came around and I suddenly developed curves and breasts. At first, getting approached by guys in high school seemed kinda fun, I mean I liked getting the attention at first, but then it became a bother. I realized how badly it got when girls started to avoid me. I thought I was only imagining things, but it didn't take long for me to find out. When I was in the bathroom stall I had overheard two popular girls, Kathy Davis and Samantha Hartman telling each other things that weren't true about me.

The rumors that spread about me weren't the greatest, I heard stories from people accusing me of sleeping with the entire football team to snorting crack at a bowling alley. I never knew those people, I never understood why they started these rumors. As a result, I lost Lisa due to someone telling her that I slept with her boyfriend, Brandon.

The next three years of high school were honestly a living hell. I was depressed, lonely-I had no one. On top of that, my parents were getting a divorce. Tom and Sarah couldn't stand to be together in the same room without repeatedly insulting one another. I did what I could to distance myself, I got a job and enrolled myself in after school programs to help me get out of Woodcrest and into a good university.

That's where I met my best friend, Hiro Otomo. It was my Junior year and I was waiting outside the school to get picked up by Eric, who was about an hour late.

" _Stuck here?"_

 _I looked up to see a tall, Asian kid. I'd never seen any people of color in my school aside myself, he must've been a new student._

" _Yeah." I replied, my eyes not leaving his._

 _He extended his arm "My name's Hiro Otomo, I just moved here with my parents from New Jersey."_

" _Jazmine Dubois, I've been here all my life." I replied with a smile, shaking his hand._

" _Well Jaz, looks like you might need a ride home. My car is just around the corner, I don't mind."_

At first I was anxious, because I have never allowed a boy to give me a ride before. But Hiro seemed friendly, not perverted and gross like the other guys in my school, so I said yes. We spent the entire car ride talking about music, it turns out he was a DJ and often did gigs back when he used to live in Jersey. We were interested in going into the same field, biology. Though he admitted that he did it mostly for his parents, they seemed to discourage his passion for music. Hiro was kind and never judged me based off the rumors that were spreading around. He treated me well and told me that I was like a sister to him.

I was so happy when I found out that Hiro and I were both accepted into the University of Maryland. Despite us having different schedules, we shared a few classes together, he went into pre-medical and I went into marine biology. His pre-medical program required him to take a marine biology course, which he is currently enrolled in, but with a different professor.

 _I wonder if Hiro would get on that research vessel._ I thought to myself.

I glanced at my phone, it was 12:45 PM, and I had to get to work at around 3. During the time in between, I made myself a cup of tea and started to pack my bags; I'd leave Baltimore Thursday morning and head for Woodcrest. Hiro told me he'd give me a ride, so I didn't have to worry about transportation. I didn't have a car, Eric told me I should get around with public transportation until I had enough money to buy a car. I could barely afford to pay the rent right now, but getting a car was definitely next on the list.

* * *

 _ **Six hours later**_

"Girl, wake yo ass up!" my head jolted up as I was met with a smirking blonde, putting her phone in my face.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes, _did I fall asleep at work again?_

It was seven thirty, and I was currently working my last shift at Starbucks. The place was empty and only a few customers had waltzed in earlier.

"Cin. The place is empty… Why are we still here?" I whined

"Cause Rodger is a dumbass that's why." She rolled her eyes

I giggled, Rodger was our manager, and he hated it whenever Cindy and I worked together. Mainly because we'd always crack jokes and talk smack about the rude customers that came in. She was a student at the community college nearby, majoring in nursing. Apparently her college was teamed up with UMD and she was already a part of the semester at sea program, only she'd be working in the clinic. It was very coincidental, but nevertheless I was happy for her.

"So, how was that bio final?" She asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I mean I think I did alright, but I don't wanna jinx myself…" I replied

"Girl, you better not get a low score, I need someone to vent to on that boat!"

I half-smiled, "We'll get the results in about a week… "

"And I better be the first one to get the news about your score"

 _The anxiety is eating me up alive too…_ I thought

* * *

 **December 27** **th** **2020\. Woodcrest, MD.**

It had been about eleven days since I've been back home, and to say I was dreading every second of it would be an understatement.

Don't get me wrong, I love my mom, it's Eric that bothered the crap out of me. He tries to parent me and does a terrible job at it, he bosses me around and acts so controlling. He only does it just so he could prove to Sarah that he's a tougher man than Tom ever was. It was annoying.

I was already stressed enough about my results not coming in yet, my professor told us that he'd have the grades up before Christmas, so I checked my laptop every single day. Hoping that he would post our scores already.

"Earth to Jaz?"

Hiro had accompanied me to Woodcrest, and right now we were both sitting at coffee shop downtown.

"Will you stop stressing the grades already?"

It's like he read my mind, "I'm sorrrryyy… I'm just worried y'know? How come you got your grade before I did!?"

"Because Jaz, we have different professors, remember?"

Hiro had aced the class with a 94%, which wasn't surprising considering that he was one of the smartest people I knew. His parents were happy when they heard the news, but deep down Hiro knew they expected more of him, which bothered him the most.

"Ugh. But-"

"No! Chill! It's your birthday, and we are here to celebrate, courtesy of me of course…"

"Yay" I cheered sarcastically.

He shook his head, taking my phone away from me.

"Hiro!"

"Come on, the more you think about it, the more stressed out it'll make you."

I thought about it for a moment and gave up, "you know what, you're right. It's my birthday, and I should just relax and order another chocolate muffin."

He rolled his eyes, "finally…"

Did I forget to mention that I turn nineteen today?

Biting into my muffin, I ask Hiro about his new gig tonight,

"It's at The Nine. You better come this time…"

"Don't worry I will…"

"You said that last time…"

"You know what happened last time! I tripped on the stairs."

He scoffed, "Fine, but this time no excuses, if you trip on the stairs again you better see my gig before you go to a hospital"

I laughed, until I heard a notification sound from my phone.

And it wasn't a text message notification.

It was

…an e-mail.

"Oh my god." Said Hiro, still carrying my phone. "Do you want me to check it?"

My heart dropped.

This was it.

The final moment…

* * *

 **A/N:** Chapter 2 should be posted today, let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**8:32 AM Monday, January 6** **th** **2020\. Port of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD**

* * *

"Riley, do you know where-"

"Ewww, why people gotta be so damn nasty?" he cut me off, picking up a used condom from underneath one of the beds and throwing it into the trashbag. "Man, I'm so done wit all this"

I sighed, "Riley, do you want him to give you the toilets again?"

He scoffed, "You'd be complainin' too if you seen all the shit I seen! I'm sick of cleanin' guest cabins!"

I had to admit, it wasn't his fault. Our boatswain, Dewey Jenkins, was a sadistic asshole who treated the both of us like garbage ever since we started working on deck. He would give us the nastiest jobs to take care of, barely paying us what he'd promise. We've been up since 4 AM, cleaning and keeping the boat under maintenance.

At first, the two of us started off as ordinary seamen. Our tasks were not the best, from cleaning disgusting guest cabins to sweeping water off the decks, it was tiring. I got my license a year later and was able to move up a rank as an able seaman. The differences aren't that evident, but I didn't have to do as much dirty work Riley was going through, I did more electrical work as well as standing guard and steering the ship too.

It wasn't the best job ever, but it payed better than those minimum wage jobs back home in Chicago, which we couldn't afford to live on at the moment. My grandfather was a close friend of the captain, and he was nice enough to provide Riley and I with jobs after his death.

Because Dewey is only a rank higher than me, he acts all high and mighty. Sometimes, he gave us tasks that didn't fit our proper training. I noticed he was stricter on Riley since my younger brother always bickered with the guy. He was about 6'0" and only a couple of years older than me. He was appointed boatswain by his uncle, Ray, who was our captain.

"Ay Huey, what time these new people gonna be boarding?"

"Tomorrow by 9, why? "

"Nothing man, I just hope it ain't crazy or nothin, I don't want to deal with drunk old nasty swingers again...eww"

Our last departure wasn't a very pleasant one, let's just say that I don't want to ever see another 75 year old naked body, ever again. Nude cruises are just wrong, especially all exclusive senior citizen ones.

"I think it's a bunch of college kids this time." I stated

His eyes widened, "Ay forreal? Maybe I'll bump into one of those smart good looking broads…"

I rolled my eyes "Whatever you say"

The two of us whipped our heads back to the sound of somebody singing in the halls, " _One, Two, Three… Mos Def and Talib Kweli_.."

Moments later a figure stood at the door, he took his earphones out and greeted us, "Hey Huey my man, what's good Riley?"

"You're in a good mood today…" I replied nonchalantly

"Yep!" He replied cheerfully, "Guess who got picked to be the host…"

"Let me guess, you?"

"Yeah man! Ray actually gave me the job himself! Somethin' about budget cuts, apparently we had to let the old guy go. Oh man, It's gonna be lit Huey! Imma get the chance to get on those turntables on the upper deck."

"Man this sum bull!" shouted Riley

Caesar laughed "What's wrong Reezy? I thought you liked your job, you know, cleanin' old people's sperm and sh-"

"Shut up!" he was cut short by Riley throwing an old shoe in his direction, which I dodged easily.

"Ow!"

"How come Caesar gets to do something fun while I'm still here scrubbin' toilets!?"

Caesar scoffed and rubbed his cheek where he got hit, "I don't _know_ Riley, maybe if you ain't pickin fights with Erika Badewey so often you'd be on his good side."

As if on cue, Dewey entered the room "Why are you three niggas always messing around? Do you want me to give you plumbing duty? You need to stop being so lazy!"

The three of us went silent, until Riley opened his mouth. "Why don't you stop bein' a gay ass nigga first."

Caesar let out a small chuckle that earned him a glare from Dewey, who looked infuriated. "Never mind your punk ass, I just got sent here to let you all know that the Captain is expecting you guys to behave, especially cause we got a younger crowd sailing with us this time…"

" _whatever nigga_ " muttered Riley under his breath

" _And_ , you guys are asked to wear these new badges at all times, in case a student or faculty member needs your assistance with anything."

"Where are we going this year?" asked Caesar,

"We set sail to Cara Island, apparently the university is using the ship as a research vessel as well, sorta like a study-at-sea program. But aside that, we'll have regular passengers on board as well."

"Uh, are you sure this boat's big enough for that?" I asked

"Yeah yeah, we gave them a suitable price anyways. Their budget isn't extremely high, we have about 500 people. We got a lab installed in the basement already, and ya'll need to be wearing those red shirts and badges at all times. Your schedules are on your cabin door, so you better not be late to any shift and tell me you didn't know where to go."

I rolled my eyes. Although most cruise lines could handle to about 4,000 people, the Santiago cruise was a much smaller ship with a maximum capacity of 400. I don't know if they've taken proper security measures on this laboratory they've installed either.

 _Don't stress it_. I thought to myself.

The nuisance made his way out of the cabin, I couldn't stand that man at all. He _never_ thought things though, which made it bad on us because of every mistake he's made, we were the ones who ended up suffering.

I complained to him once that one of our pipes was leaking and needed proper maintenance by a professional, he began to yell on about how we didn't have enough money and that we had to solve the issue ourselves. Luckily, someone from our crew was just able to fix it before a huge storm hit us. He was just about to get fired for something until Dewey realized that he was the head of maintenance.

Abruptly, Dewey waltzed back into the room, "Oh I almost forgot, Huey, they need you in the boiler room."

"What happened?" I asked

"I don't know nigga, go find out." He stated and left the room.

Riley and Caesar burst out into laughing, I scowled deeper and left the cabin.

 _It's gonna be one hell of a day_

* * *

 **Nine hours later**

"Man, I'm exhausted." Exhaled Caesar, throwing himself on the small bottom bed.

"I'm sayin, I dunno if I could handle anymore cleaning." Whined Riley from atop the bed

"At least you didn't get electrocuted." I groaned,

Riley laughed "Yeah nigga, that was pretty funny."

Caesar sat up "You know what's not funny though, is these small ass cabins they be givin' us."

"Yeah, I agree.. the three of us can't even stand up in here together without putting them away."

To say that the layout of our cabin was small is an understatement. The place barely fit us three, they provided us with two beds that were grounded, and we had the option to pull out another bed from each side of the ceiling. Aside the bedding, we had no windows, one closet to fit all our stuff in, and a very small corner bathroom with a toilet and a shower. It wasn't the best but somehow, we made it work.

"Ya'll should get some sleep, we gotta be up early to greet the passengers." I stated

"Yeah you right, Esco gotta look fly for them new bitches."

Caesar laughed, "you ain't impressing no lady with that attitude"

Riley scoffed "Man, what do you even know about bitches?"

"Uh, I know that women don't like to be called that…" he replied back

"Whatever nigga." Riley smirked, thinking of his chances with an older college girl.

I tuned out of their conversation and shut my eyes, hoping that sleep would come to me peacefully this time. Truthfully, I don't remember the last time I had a proper night's sleep. Unsettling dreams and images from the past came back to haunt me every time I would fall asleep, so I just began to avoid it.

Sighing for the fiftieth time today, I thought to myself " _I really hope tomorrow goes smoothly…"_

* * *

 **8:47 AM Tuesday, January 7** **th** **2020\. Port of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD**

"This is it Hiro…"

"Wow, it's…"

"amazing?"

"No, I was gonna say tiny."

"It's not that tiny!" I exclaimed, sticking my tongue out

Hiro and I had just finished going through security and baggage at the port authority, we were currently at our port of call at the Baltimore Harbor. In front of us a stood a line of about 300 people waiting to board the cruise ship. It wasn't as big as those commercial ones you see on TV, but it was like…a smaller version of it. It was pretty chilly outside, I wore a burgundy sweater dress that reached my thigh with black tights underneath, and boots to match. Hiro on the other hand decided to go in grey Adidas sweats and a Nujabes Hoodie.

By now you've probably figured out that I made it into the top 10 of the class. I got a 97! I beat Hiro's score and teased him endlessly about it. Though I didn't think he really cared… I was still very proud of myself.

But my moment of joy was cut short, _again_. "Jazmine?!"

 _Oh no…_

I quickly pinched Hiro's arm, "Ow! What the hell?"

"He's here!" I whispered

"Who's he-" I rolled my eyes and moved his head towards the annoying guy in the back, he was waving at me in front of a sea of people.

"- _ohhh"_

"Yeah, I'm gonna try to move up in front of the line or something, whatever you do don't tell him I was here!"

"Jazmine, he saw you! You want me to _lie_?"

"Will it kill you?" I sneered and ran further down the line, making sure I was out of Cairo's sight.

I uttered countless 'sorry's and 'excuse me's as I made my way to the front of the huge line, I bumped into many familiar and unfamiliar faces. _Why are there so many people? Are these kids all science majors?_

I finally stopped when I thought I was away from him, so absent-mindedly that I turned around only to be met with his face a foot away from mine

"What the hell!?" I screamed, jumping in surprise.

"Jazmine! I thought I saw you… What's going on! I see you passed Viktorio's class, what did you get?"

I was shocked by his ability to get here so quickly, "Cairo how did you even-?"

"I saw you were getting ahead of the line, did you buy a VIP pass or something?" he asked very quickly, taking a step forward each time.

"No I wasn'-"

He cut me off again, noticing how uncomfortable I was getting, "Jazmine, let's get one thing clear, what happened on that night-"

"Cairo, go away." I let out in frustration and turned my head away. I was so close to the gangway, just a few steps ahead and I could board the ship.

I could hear him call my name, pleading for me to listen. This was definitely not the place to start talking about things like this, not that I wanted to in the first place. I ignored his pleas and continued to push past the crowd, not caring if I got yelled at. I just wanted to get away from this idiot.

I took a glance at my watch, 8:50. They gates should be open in ten minutes

 _Just make it to the gangway and wait it out Jazmine_

* * *

 **Huey (thirty minutes earlier)**

"Caesar, make sure you put those signs up on the elevators, we can't have the passengers using them until we make sure their stuff is sent to their cabins."

"Got you, fam."

"Riley, you'll come down to deck one with me so we can open the gates and card everyone"

It was a busy day for us working on board, the three of us were assigned to take care of guest luggage and boarding. It wasn't a simple task, considering that there was about 500 people ready to get on board. I wasted no time standing around, I just wanted to get this over with.

Riley and I made our way down to the first deck, we both set up a gangway between the ship and land for the passengers to get on board. After making sure it was secure, we brought out two card scanners. Every passenger should have a card and a form of ID to get on board.

I felt a sudden vibration on my thigh, reaching down I grabbed my two way receiver.

" _Caes to Big Hue, elevators are set on decks 1 to 5"_

"Good. And don't call me that" I scowled

He laughed _"Whatever you say, brother."_

I took a quick glance at my watch, 8:59. In a minute, the gates would open, and the fiasco would start.

* * *

 **Jazmine 9:00**

 _Just a few more steps._

I could see the gate in front of me, I was only behind a couple of people on the platform; single file. I cut in my way shamelessly, I did everything in my might to get rid of Cairo, but he stuck to me like a leech. He was almost behind me, I could hear him bicker with a few people waiting in line, telling them that I was his girlfriend and he needed to reach me. I felt extremely creeped out, and started to hate myself for leaving Hiro's side.

 _Please god, let this gate open now._

God must've heard my prayers, cause that door opened in an instant. The line began to move and I could see people inserting their cards in a metallic box. _Card?_ \- Oh crap! I left mine with Hiro! I began to cuss as I saw no way out, Cairo was right behind me, and I was almost next to get inside the ship.

I felt his cold hand grab my arm. "Jazmine! Why are you running from me?"

"Cairo I swear to God if you don't let go I will punch you."

"Look, I'm not gonna hurt you I just want you to listen."

"I don't want to talk to you!"

I peeled his fingers off my arm, when he started to come closer to me, I pushed him back with all my might, he fell into the crowd behind him, knocking a few angry passengers on the ground. He got up instantly and began to walk back up on the gangway, I panicked and stepped backwards too quickly causing me to stumble backwards and brace myself to face plant into the ground.

I definitely hit something, but it wasn't the ground… I felt, a heartbeat?

Immediately, I felt my face become flustered, and I looked up.

"H..Hi?"

* * *

 **Huey**

I knew something was up when I heard really loud bickering in the crowd, "Riley, take over for a second."

"Cairo I swear to God if you don't let go I will punch you."

 _What the hell?_ I looked onward only to see a girl, she had golden curls and jade eyes that had me captivated for a minute..

"Look, I'm not gonna hurt you I just want you to listen." Someone else was with her, he seemed way too familiar. Was that, _Cairo_? What the hell is he doing here? I stepped more to the front, when I noticed that he had his hands around her. And it made me really angry for some reason, I don't know why.

"I don't want to talk to you!"

Before I could intervene, she pushed the guy and he fell down, knocking a few people over. Then she got up and ran towards my direction as he got back up too. Suddenly, she turned around and tripped over a step, on cue, my arms reached towards her and I caught her before she could plummet to the ground.

The crowd went entirely silent the moment she fell, she looked up into my eyes; her cheeks scarlet red. She stuttered, "h..hi?"

I was caught off guard by how beautiful she was, she left me speechless. I was never taken aback that easily by a woman before, I don't know what took over me at that moment. I felt like a complete ditz.

"A..Are you okay?" I asked, feeling myself getting hotter.

She looked at me and looked back at Cairo, who ran towards her. "I'm fi-"

"Jazmine! Are you oka- _what the hell_?" He cut himself off when he saw me.

I scowled hard at the frenzied guy, "Nice to see you too, _Evans_."

His attitude shifted instantly, he looked at me with anger "Huey Freeman? What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, a passenger from the back spoke up, cutting the awkward tension "Can you three continue this somewhere else? We're trying to get on board here!"

"Jazmine!" another person came through the crowd, he was of Asian descent and held something in his hand. "Are you alright? I tried calling you but you left before you could take your card…"

The girl- or Jazmine, let go of my shoulders and straightened herself up, "I.. I'm sorry." She spoke, then she grabbed the card from her friend.

Another angry passenger shouted at her friend "Hey kid! Get in the back of the line!"

He held his hands up in defeat "Alright, alright, jeez, I just had to give my friend something…"

I let out a deep breath that I found myself holding in, I had no idea what was happening, but I needed to sort things out and get back to work.

I faced the girl with the cinnamon curls, "Miss, can I see your card and ID?"

* * *

 **Jazmine**

 _I've never been more embarrassed in my entire life._

I searched my purse and showed him my license, he proceeded to scan the card and stared intensely at me. I tried to hide the blush that crept onto my face by facing the floor. His wine eyes stood evidently, making it extremely hard to keep my eyes off of his. He stood tall with his afro adding more height and an intimidating aura.

"Jazmine Dubois?" He asked

I nodded.

"Welcome aboard, your room number is-" he stopped when he noticed Cairo standing directly behind me, so he leaned into my ear and whispered the deck and cabin number. It probably looked so awkward but it made me shiver.

I thanked him and began to walk past him, until I heard Cairo's voice utter a lie from behind me

"Come on man, tell me what her room number is, she's my girlfriend."

"I am NOT your girlfriend!" I yelled at the top of my lungs

"Even if she was Cairo, I am not allowed to give you that information." Huey replied

 _How does he know Cairo? And just who is this guy?_

"Man, _fuck you_." Cairo sneered at the afro-headed boy.

Whereas Huey chuckled, "I can easily call security to dispose of your ass, if I catch you bothering that girl again I will make sure you get off this boat in a heartbeat."

I looked at Huey and mouthed a 'thank you'. Cairo groaned and looked at me, I turned away quickly and made my way up the stairs. Thankful that this dramatic scenario was over. _Don't let this ruin your trip Jazmine,_ _be hopeful._

* * *

 **A/N:** Please review! I'll update soon, I just want to know if you guys enjoyed it so far!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! But here's chapter 3!

* * *

 **10:00 AM Monday, January 6** **th** **2020 Santiago Cruise Ship, Port of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD**

"He did _what_!?" a flabbergasted, enraged blonde questioned me

"I'm telling you Cindy, this guy's crazy! I didn't think it would reach this point!"

She scowled "Oooh girl, I _wish_ I was there I woulda smacked the shit outta him. Wish his punk ass would try me"

I giggled, "I know you would've knocked him out, Cin. I don't doubt it."

The two of us had been assigned the same cabin, which I had requested as soon as I found out I was going to be boarding. I was really glad it worked out, for now I wanted to forget my encounter with Cairo the creep about an hour ago; talking to Cindy was making me feel a whole lot better.

Our cabin was small, but cozy. Even though we both had to share a bunk bed, it gave us more space for a desk, closet, a mirrored dresser, and even a small mini fridge. The bathroom was really small, but I didn't mind any of it.

"How did you even manage to get away?" She asked, grabbing a water bottle from the mini fridge

Recalling the previous events, my cheeks began to heat up "W...well, I accidentally tripped and bumped into som- "

The intercom went off, interrupting my embarrassing story, " _Ayyy what's good UMD?! This is your host and very talented emcee, Michael Caesar! But ya'll can just call me Caes. I just wanted to welcome you all_ _aboard the Santiago Cruise ship, I know ya'll gonn have a wonderful time sailing the ocean blue. But a quick announcement first before I go on, all students are required to assemble in the Johaness Auditorium for a brief orientation, located on deck three. See you there"_

"Ugh, I don't wanna go" I whined and threw myself on the bed

She extended out an arm, "Don't you worry girl; I got you. No body gonn mess with you."

We both left the cabin and headed to the elevators. Our room was on the 5th floor, there were nine floors on the ship, and it seemed way bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. I really did want to take a tour of the ship, but the conflict I had with Cairo earlier was making me a bit more hesitant about going anywhere.

 _'_ _Don't let this mofo keep you from doing ya thing Jaz.'_ Recalling what Cindy had said earlier, _she's right._

As the elevator halted to a stop, the two of us stepped inside and were met with a pair of wine eyes, only this time, they didn't belong to an afro-headed boy, he was a bit shorter, and wore his hair in cornrows instead.

"What floor?" he greeted with a smug grin

"Three please" I said with a smile

Cindy on the other hand stopped in her tracks, she fidgeted around and seemed nervous. The boy with the cornrows stared at her for a minute, and she took a glimpse at his face. He didn't have time to see her flustered cheeks because the elevator came to a stop. Cindy grabbed my arm and took off instantly.

"What the hell, Cin?"

"Ugh Jazmine he was so fucking cute I couldn't."

My eyes widened and I started to laugh hysterically at her behavior

I gasped and covered my mouth, "Awww, Lil Cindy has a crushhh."

She pinched my arm, "Shut up! I didn't even get to ask him for his name..."

"I mean, we _were_ in an elevator. I'm sure you'll bump into him again…"

She sighed and smiled at me "yeah yeah…whatever, Jazmine."

I laughed and we proceeded to head to the auditorium.

The place was filling up pretty quickly, Cindy and I had managed to grab seats in the center. She made sure to keep a look out for Cairo.

"This seat taken?" I heard a voice to my right

"Hiro! Where were you?" I gasped and moved my backpack from the seat next to me

He sat down, "What are you talking about, I've been texting you! What the hell happened earlier?"

Just as I was about to explain, Cindy popped her head up from my left and scowled. "Who's this guy?"

"Ha, Cindy, this is my best friend, Hiro. I've known him since High School, we both go to UMD."

"Sup, ma?" he flirted

She rolled her eyes, "Boy bye…"

He chuckled, "Chicks ain't givin' me no love these days, Jaz."

The lights dimmed, and a figure appeared on stage. He was dressed in a red t-shirt with khaki shorts, similar to what the boy in the elevator and Huey were wearing. _I'm guessing they all work on board._

I awkwardly blushed at the thought of my clumsy mishap with Huey.

He held a microphone in his hand and spoke in a cheerful manner, with a New Yorker accent "Hello and welcome students! To our first study at sea program at the Santiago Cruise Line. We hope you are as excited about cruising with us, as we are to have you on board. Now before we let ya'll have all the fun, here's your program coordinator from the University of Maryland, Doctor Darwin."

The boy with the dreads handed the mic to an older man wearing a suit, "Thank you Michael."

"Hello students, as I presume many of you are here because you worked very hard to pass your classes, we have about 400 students on board from a variety of majors that include, nursing, engineering, journalism and marine biology. First, I would like to congratulate you all on excelling in your classes, it gives me great pleasure to see our students working and striving for greater success. I hope you are all well aware of our purpose on this ship other than to have fun, and it is to acquire knowledge. You have the great opportunity to use what you have learned so far to further your knowledge in your field. Your schedules should be provided to you shortly this afternoon on your cabin doors, you must also read the guideline book that will be handed out to you shortly, and we want to ensure our students' safety and the safety of the crew."

We sat around for the next ten minutes or so listening to the program coordinator discussing what is and isn't permitted around the ship. Surprisingly, drinking on board was permitted for students that were of age. But they weren't allowed to do so during schooling hours. _The weekends are so gonna get wild._

We were headed to Cara Island, it was part of a small archipelago belonging to South America. The journey would take about a month or so for us to reach land. Even though the wait was long, I was really excited. Cara Island isn't like any regular island, tourism is off limits. They want to preserve the wildlife there; so it was a common destination for only scientists to conduct research. My excitement grew as I thought of all the different marine species I would get to study in the Pacific Ocean. Maybe if I'm lucky enough I would-

"Jaz!"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to Cindy

"You ain't even listening to me! I was tellin' you my shift gonn start soon, I need to be out by 12."

"You work here?" Asked Hiro

"Yeah, at the clinic…"

"I honestly forgot you had to work" I sighed

"Girl you know how it is, cause I go to community they can't afford to pay up as much as the big universities can, so in return I gotta work. But it ain't so bad I mean it's in my field, I'll be at the clinic; it's all the way downstairs."

"Ugh Cindyy don't leave mee! When does your shift end?"

" _Hellooo… I still exist?"_ Hiro muttered in the background

"Umm, I think at 5?"

"What am I gonna do for four hours?"

She laughed "I'unno, socialize ho. Meet some bomb ass niggas or chicks if you into that, but stay outta trouble I don't want you running into that whack ass Egypt nigga."

"You mean Cairo"

"Whatever Jazzy!"

"I'll see you at 5?"

She smiled and nodded her head. "We can hit up the clubs after wards, bye Jaz!"

I sighed, I wasn't prepared for any crazy activities yet, and I've never properly hung out with Cindy before, she was my co-worker. I was excited and yet nervous at the same time.

"So, what now?" Hiro asked

"I'm hungry…we should totally grab something to eat."

"Alright, I think deck 6 is where the food's at." We both made our way towards the staircase

"So how's your roomie like?" he asked

"Cindy? I love her, she was also my co-worker at Starbucks. She's really funny."

"Oh shit, what a coincidence…"

"I know right? How's your roommate?"

"That's the part where you start to hate me…"

"Please don't tell me-"

"-I had no say in it!"

"You could've chosen someone else! I thought you told me you wanted Timothy to be your roommate!"

"He didn't make it in the program! I was shocked too when I saw Cairo standing by our door. He looked really pissed off too."

"Great, now I can't even go to your floor-"

"Don't sweat it Jaz, just make sure you text me before so I can make sure he's not there."

 _Just what I needed, Cairo Evans being my best friend's roommate._

"Has he interrogated you about my whereabouts?" I asked worriedly.

"Not really, I don't think he saw me during the previous encounter…"

"Good."

We made our way to deck six, it was an outer deck, meaning you would be able to see the harbor beyond the railing. There were only a few people here, we spotted a small burger shack in the corner. I went over and ordered a jalapeno burger, while Hiro ordered a plain cheeseburger.

"Way to be fun, Hiro." I said sarcastically

He stuck his tongue out at me, "Shut up, you know how I feel about my cheeseburgers."

Outside, it was still cold, we were still docked at the port of Baltimore. I crossed my arms, wishing I had brought a jacket to wear over my sweater dress.

"Dumbass."

I saw Hiro extend his jacket towards me. I took it gracefully and immediately put it on. " _So_ nice of you."

"Don't get used to it, you already lost one of my jackets…"

"Ugh, you always remind me… _sorr-y_."

 _"_ _It was my favorite one"_ he uttered underneath his breath.

We both finished our meals and headed back downstairs, I told Hiro I had to go unpack my things and he said he'd walk me to my cabin.

"So what time is your cute blonde friend gonna chill with you?"

"Uhm…that's none of your business, weirdo."

He put his hands up in defeat. " _Relax_ , I was just asking."

I smiled and rolled my eyes, "she'll be out by five, text me if you want to come through."

"Alright I will, see ya."

I slid my card through the door, once the small rectangular light turned green, I turned the knob and entered. Three of my suitcases lay on the floor, I groaned. Unpacking wasn't my thing.

 _Well, here goes._

* * *

 **3:00 PM, Control Room, Huey POV**

"Course 36-O degrees, 10 port to 10 starboard"

"She's ready, sir."

Dewey Jenkins stood in the control room, we were about to leave port and set sail to Cara Island. A voyage that would last a month; this was certainly a first.

"Sir, there is a passenger who says that there seems to be a rattling noise coming from the boiler room on deck 3"

"Again? Huey… I told you to get on that yesterday"

"I did, there wasn't a problem."

"Well if there wasn't a problem we wouldn't be hearing that noise now would we?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I'll get right on it."

I left the captain's quarters annoyed as hell; Dewey didn't know shit about boilers, and I doubt the passengers do either. They make noise when heated, it was nothing major. Regardless, I wasn't in the mood to bicker, so I left without arguing.

I made my way down the stairs towards deck 3. Looking to my right to see the vast Atlantic Ocean, I've gotten used to the view by now. As much as I loved sailing, I was homesick; longing to go back to Chicago. We'd be embarking in a couple of minutes so I walked towards the boiler room and unlocked the door with my set of keys and entered, there was no sound whatsoever. _What the hell?_ I thought to myself.

I walked further into the hot room, still wanting to investigate the problem furthermore. Just in case. I was taken aback when I heard the door slam shut, swiftly turning around I saw a figure lurking in the dark.

"Show yourself." I demanded

Emerging from the shadows was no one other than the infamous Cairo Evans himself, he held a smug look on his face and approached me.

"Let me guess, you're the asshole who made that complaint."

He scoffed "No shit, Freeman."

He raised his eyebrows, "So what are you exactly? Some kind of crew member doing all the dirty work? Great path you chose for yourself, Huey."

I rolled my eyes, if he thought that was going to get me riled up, he could've at least tried harder.

"What do you want, I don't have time for this."

Cairo frowned and crossed his arms like a child, "What's your relationship to her?"

I raised my eyebrow, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Freeman."

Okay, I had no idea what this nigga was on

"I'm serious, don't you think you can just lure any girl you want; she's mine."

I thought back for a moment, _this should be interesting._ "Oh you mean that beautiful girl you were preying on earlier? Yeah she's fine I have to admit, but judging by what happened today, I don't think she's into you man."

 _That_ shook him up, he gritted his teeth and spoke "You don't know what you're talking about."

I chuckled, "This was fun Cairo, but I gotta go." Walking past him, I reached out to open the door when he grabbed my shoulders. I pushed him to the ground and held him in an arm lock, "Grow up, Cairo. I haven't seen you in seven years… _get over yourself_."

I let go of him and exited through the door. _Why is he so hung up on me and that girl? It was only one encounter._ I didn't know or honestly cared as to why Cairo carried hostility towards me.

To make matters worse, Dewey was standing right in front of me "Did you fix the problem, Freeman?"

I froze. _Shit, please don't go inside._

"Yeah." I replied simply, keeping my composure.

"Good, now excuse me while I go check up on that dumbass friend of yours, Caesar."

I breathed a sigh of relief and looked inside the room again to only find out that Cairo was gone.

 _He must've taken off._

Whatever.

* * *

 **No P.O.V.**

 _That asshole, Freeman._

 _Who does he think he is? Waltzing into my life all of a sudden like he owns it_.

Cairo Evans tried to make an effort to get Freeman off his tail. He wanted to make it clear to Huey not to mess with him, or Jazmine. Admittedly, he might've went overboard earlier, but he had a plan to fix everything. ' _I just need to know where she's staying, maybe I'll surprise her with flowers or a gift.'_ He thought to himself.

He didn't think getting rid of Freeman would be too hard, he planned to make a fake complaint about the boiler room emitting a loud noise from inside. Then he could have a nice chat with him.

Unfortunately, that plan didn't work.

Cairo left the boiler room and rubbed his shoulder, Huey was gonna pay for putting his hands on him. He's not getting away with what he did to him seven years ago, yet repeat the same mistake. Cairo went back to his cabin to cool off, he was tired and needed to sleep it off. _I'll look for her in the afternoon._

* * *

 **Huey P.O.V.**

I went up to deck 9, the last deck on board, a place I'd usually go to find solitude other than the training room in the morning. Truthfully, I was exhausted; it's been three years since I've been working as a crewmember on board, having to renew my contract for another voyage every year. I could've stopped working this year, but Riley had another two more years to go. I wasn't going to leave him there, he was the only family I had left.

I walked until I reached the crow's nest, checking my back to ensure that I hadn't been followed, I felt safe enough to climb up the pole.

"Hey!" Startled; my eyes widened, and I almost missed the fourth bar, luckily I caught my balance in time.

I turned around to see a giggling girl, her curls bouncing with every move she made… _How did I not see her coming?_

"Are you okay?" She stopped giggling and smiled

"Uh, yeah... I'm fine." I said, as I stepped off the pole. Noticing her giggling, I frowned at her. "Are you lost?"

"No… I saw you about to climb up there, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't."

She raised her eyebrow "Mhmm"

I shrugged

She tucked a loose curl behind her ear and spoke "I never got to properly thank you for earlier…"

I recalled the previous events today, and suddenly I was trying to think of anything but the warmness of having her in my arms.

"It's no problem.."

"I just wish he never made it into the program."

My nervousness began to fade away when I saw her relax a bit. She looked at me sincerely and I could tell the Cairo situation was bothering her.

Then I motioned for her to come closer, and led her to the pole. "Go up, I'll be right behind you."

She hesitated "A…are you sure this is okay?"

"Trust me" I said

* * *

 **No P.O.V**

She took in a deep breath and proceeded to climb up the remaining steps. Soon she found herself at the peak. He climbed up ahead over her in order to pull her up safely. Huey extended his arm, to which she took gracefully as he lifted her up onto the base of the nest.

Jazmine stood there with her mouth agape, not only was she about 500 feet above the ships main deck, it was the view that captivated her, leaving her speechless for a moment

"Wow" she exclaimed as her eyes widened at the beautiful orange horizon that stood in her view. They had managed to catch the perfect time to see the sun setting over the ocean; something Huey observed quite often. He never told anyone about his hideout except for Caesar, and he never brought anyone let alone a female to his only place of refuge.

"It's beautiful"

 _Almost as you_ he thought, but mentally slapped himself at the thought of him being head over heels for the jade-eyed girl

"I didn't properly introduce myself" she gave him a signature smile that made his heart skip a beat "My name is Jazmine."

His facial expression softened at her delicacy, and he spoke naturally "Huey Freeman"

"Thank you, Huey"

The two stood on the nest in silence for a while or so, it wasn't an awkward silence but a comforting one. She leaned her torso over the railing, taking in her surroundings. Huey stood inches away from her, cursing the humid atmosphere that radiated her scent into his nostrils; she smelled of sweet strawberries. She relaxed her shoulders and remained intrigued by the view. They stayed to witness the last beam of orange, watching it disappear into the ocean. A sudden chill overcame them and Jazmine crossed her arms for warmth.

Huey noticed and offered to take her back on deck, she nodded in agreement. He climbed down ahead of her, wanting to ensure that she wouldn't slip. Climbing down the rail, they reached the ground safely and she blushed as she fixed her sweater dress, being slightly lifted up because of the wind.

"Are you always here?" She asked curiously

"Most of the time"

"It's really nice, I forgot what I was even upset about in the first place for a moment."

He smirked, "I'm glad"

"Can I come here again?" As much as she loved the view, she also wanted to ask him how he knew Cairo. But she didn't want to come off as nosy from their first encounter.

"I can't let you up there alone" He didn't expect her to want to come back, but he was glad she asked.

She remained silent for a moment before opening her mouth, but he read her mind

"I'll accompany you"

"That sounds great" she beamed

Her phone vibrated and she saw a text message from Cindy asking her to come meet her at their cabin

"I have to go now, but I'm looking forward for tomorrow" She smiled and waved goodbye, then made her way towards the staircase.

Leaving the afro boy in a complete daze. _Aye Huey, stop bein' gay!_ He heard his brother's voice echoing in his mind.

* * *

 **A/N: So what's the deal? Sorry if it seemed rushed or too fluffy or anything, I kept coming back to it and adding more and I wanted it to sound good, but it felt like I was going on and on so I had to end this chapter here. But I know what I want to write in the next one so that's a good thing. Thank you all who read and reviewed it means a lot!**

 **Let me know what you thought of this!**


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